Published on February 9, 2024, 1:50 am

Last week ushered in a notable shift in the Biden administration’s approach to health care. For the second time in two years, it announced planned cuts to Medicare Advantage. Considering that most senior citizens now receive health care through Medicare Advantage instead of traditional fee-for-service Medicare, this is essentially cutting back on entitlements. This move contradicts regular Democratic claims accusing Republicans of wanting to slash entitlements.

Interestingly, despite this looming cut, 61 senators, inclusive of many Democrats at risk in their respective races and Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, have signed a letter supporting Medicare Advantage. This indicates a possible internal rift within the party as President Biden seems to be acting contrary to certain factions within his party who are not advocating for Medicare for All.

Indeed, some members of the Democratic Party including Senator Elizabeth Warren, Senator Bernie Sanders, and Representatives Debbie Dingell and Pramila Jayapal advocate cutting back on Medicare Advantage. These cuts are seen as a means to eliminate alternatives to traditional Medicare and transition everyone into Medicare for All more rapidly. According to Warren’s website:

“My plan for health care reverses the Trump Administration’s sabotage of our health care, allows everyone in America to choose a Medicare for All option at little or no cost, and cuts costs for families before moving us into full Medicare for All.”

Understanding this mindset might better explain why when these cuts were implemented last year Representative Kevin Hern identified them as an undercover mechanism pushing towards a nation-wide adoption of Medicare for All.

While these talks were ongoing Dr. Brian Miller MD from the Medicare Payments Advisory Committee (MedPAC) suggested MedPAC was being politicised and being lined up by the Biden administration to support another wave of cuts:

“…This gives the appearance — that MedPAC is an independent policy organization — is being hijacked for partisan political aims….this sets up political cover for a massive MA rate cut…This document contains numerous intellectual inconsistencies…”

It is now the Republicans responsibility to bring this issue to the forefront in the 2024 election, as Democrats are already doing so.

It is essential for every senior citizen to know that during his presidency Trump did not alter social security, contrary to Democratic predictions. Trump has insisted he will never permit the GOP to do so either.

“Medicare Advantage allows private insurers to manipulate Medicare’s impeccable reputation while profiting from substandard care for senior citizens…” asserted one twitter user.

Contrarily, it’s the Democrats who are reducing entitlement, though this strategy might simply be a ploy driving voters towards a policy which was severely unpopular even among Democratic primary voters during 2020. Perceiving radical Democrats’ end goals necessitates scrutiny of these developments and it calls attention to their messaging tactic which seems like a clear win for Republicans if delivered correctly.

Jennifer Van Laar, Managing Editor of RedState, is an unabashedly conservative sports fanatics and mother of three boys based in California. Before transitioning into journalism in 2014, she served as a court reporter in North Carolina’s criminal and civil courts for two decades.